Waco is a Central Texas city positioned along the Brazos River between Dallas and Austin. Its identity is closely connected with Baylor University, the Texas Rangers, and the development of the Dr Pepper soft drink, which originated at a Waco drugstore. The city combines an established downtown with residential neighborhoods, museums, riverfront spaces, and a large network of parks.

Cuba is an island nation where history, culture, and natural beauty intertwine in captivating ways. Known for its Spanish colonial architecture, vibrant music, and revolutionary legacy, the country offers a fascinating window into both the Caribbean and Latin American worlds. Havana, with its colorful facades, classic American cars, and lively plazas, embodies Cuba’s charm and resilience, while towns like Trinidad and Cienfuegos showcase UNESCO-listed heritage and a slower pace of life.

Shenandoah National Park follows the crest and eastern slopes of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, protecting a long, narrow landscape of forests, ridges, streams, and mountain valleys. The park stretches along Skyline Drive, a scenic road that provides access to numerous overlooks and trailheads. Elevations vary considerably across the park, creating changes in vegetation and climate over relatively short distances.

Tikehau is a small coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia, northeast of Tahiti. Its oval lagoon is enclosed by a narrow chain of coral islets known as motu, with only a few channels connecting the lagoon to the open Pacific. Most of the land is low and covered with coconut palms, coastal vegetation, and white- and pink-tinged sand.

On the north-western coast of Sal Island in Cape Verde sits Palmeira, an authentic fishing settlement where day-to-day life still revolves around the sea. The village’s seaside restaurants serve grilled tuna, octopus, and flying fish fresh from the day’s catch. Just a short trip from the centre lies Buracona, a natural lava rock pool famous for the “Blue Eye,” a glowing underwater cave that shines when the sunlight hits at just the right angle.